If God Is On Pat`s Side, He`s Chosen The Wrong Man

February 14, 1988|By Thomas Hardy.

DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H. — It did not stir great promise for the political process when Republican Pat Robertson and Democrat Bruce Babbitt crossed paths in this north country region as each man`s political fortunes headed in opposite directions for all the wrong reasons.

The mouth is moving and sound is coming out, but it is mostly thematic and the words don`t get very specific.

Babbitt`s a little like Republicans Pete du Pont and Rep. Jack Kemp: Some imaginative ideas, including a few that are a bit far-fetched, but most people aren`t tuning them in.

So it was that Robertson and Babbitt, the candidate whose gimmick is to

``stand up`` symbolically to differentiate himself from his competition, separately came traipsing through the north country on the same day.

Robertson was followed by reporters from many of the nation`s major media outlets and by a French television camera crew. Babbitt, with a much smaller and more locally based press contingent, asked what the day had been like with Robertson. He probably remembered from his media ``boomlet`` days in Iowa last month.

Robertson pandered for the support of conservatives and religious zealots with his patented hit-and-run campaign style and vacuous ``I absolutely insist as president of the United States that . . .`` policy statements.

The former televangelist`s biggest audience was the 60 or so folks gathered in the Assembly of God Church of Gorham, where they cheered wildly and chanted his name.

Similarly devoted followers enabled Robertson to finish a strong second in the Iowa caucuses, Robertson said, because ``I have been giving a very simple message.`` Then came his oft-repeated promise to restore America`s greatness through moral strength.

His No. 1 priority is to reverse what he calls the disintegration of the American family. ``If there`s love at home, then we will have a strong, stable nation, a strong economy and we don`t have to worry,`` Robertson said.

He guarantees or insists on a lot of things, and one of them is the eradication of illiteracy within four years for a meager $3 billion. This man who`s never had to raise a public dollar or appease a diverse citizenry will balance the federal budget by 1991 without new taxes but by shrinking the size of government. He doesn`t specify how or where the cuts will be made.

Robertson also makes vague promises to cure the drug-abuse epidemic, improve education largely through a voucher system that would decimate public schools, ``decolonize the Soviet empire`` and end the trade deficit because

``we have no intention of becoming the economic vassal of any foreign nation.``

Robertson will beat the expectations for him in Tuesday`s primary and storm on to the South, where he will do even better. He won`t get the nomination, but then again neither will Babbitt.

The former Arizona governor was referring to his Democratic opponents but could just as well have been using Robertson as the example when he wondered if Americans have become ``numb and indifferent to the speeches and pandering . . . all the easy promises, the flim-flam and the half-truths.``

Babbitt, you see, offers solutions that require some intestinal fortitude and money. That`s probably why he`s fourth or fifth in the polls.

For example, he too wants to hold families together, so he suggests increased day care and early childhood education opportunities. He wants to cut federal spending, but in a way that would rule out sacred-cow status for any social or military programs. And he wants to do it in conjunction with new taxes.

Babbitt`s got a lot of ideas and a few people were listening in Berlin, next door to Gorham, as he spoke candidly of challenges that can be overcome with a little sacrifice and risk. But there was also a sense of doom in the air. Not many prople are standing with Babbitt.

A few hours earlier, Gina Fava, wife of the Gorham congregation`s Pastor Tom Fava, said she favored Robertson ``because he`s got a lot of wisdom and that comes from God.``

Well, I don`t know about Robertson`s wisdom, but he didn`t have many good answers. One man, though, seemed to have both, and God, in His infinite wisdom, should stand up with Bruce Babbitt.